Richard Weggel papers

Collection

Identifier: UR-04-032

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection documents J. Richard Weggel's time teaching at Drexel and includes assessments and reports on curriculum development for Engineering students, specifically on the E4 program, tDEC, and the Gateway Coalition. The collection also contains university communications from the president as well as course material on Freshman Design. The collection consists of three series: Curriculum Development, University Communications, and Course Materials.

The first series, Curriculum Development, includes documents related to the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of Drexel's Engineering Department curriculum. This includes Drexel's E4 Curriculum (Enhanced Educational Experiences for Engineers), which integrated humanities courses into the freshman and sophomore Engineering curriculum. The E4 program spanned from 1989-1994, but these documents only cover 1992-1994. In 1995, the E4 program evolved into tDEC (the Drexel Engineering Curriculum) to expand the curriculum to all Engineering students. Drexel participated in the Gateway Coalition, which was made up of a group of seven institutions. The purpose of the Gateway Coalition was to compare the E4 program to traditional Engineering curriculum. The Gateway documents consist of workshops, proceedings, assessments, and reports. Also included in this series is information about ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) and CA&EE (Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering).

The second series, University Communications, includes five folders labeled "Sermons from the Mount," which are mainly official Drexel memoranda from the president as well as assorted programs and invitations for Drexel events from 1990-2000. There is one folder on tenure and promotion policies from 1999-2002 and another folder on curriculum overview from Interdisciplinary Core for Engineering Department 1996-1997.

The third series, Course Materials, primarily includes instruction materials for a Freshman (or "Frosh") Design course taught by Weggel from 1995 to 2002. There are syllabi, student papers, and assessments of student performance. Also included with this series is one folder containing a laboratory procedures manual, which has some notes written by Weggel's assistant Jeff McFarland.

Dates

1992-2005

Creator

Weggel, J. Richard (Person)

Access restrictions

The third series, Freshman Design, contains academic work protected by FERPA and is closed to researchers until 2082. The rest of the collection is open for research use.

Biographical Note

John Richard Weggel received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Drexel in 1964 before completing his doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1968.

In 1971, Weggel was a hydraulic engineer at the Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Weggel taught, consulted, and conducted research in the areas of hydraulics, hydrology, water resources engineering, and coastal and port engineering. At CERC, he also served as special assistant to the director as well as technical assistant to the chief of the Engineering Division.

Weggel taught at Drexel University as a professor of Civil Engineering from 1983 to 2008. He became head of the Civil and Architectural Engineering Department in 1988, and later served as interim head of the renamed Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department. At Drexel, he also served as associate dean for undergraduate affairs in the College of Engineering. In 2002, Weggel was awarded the Robert G. Quinn Medal for Outstanding Leadership. He retired in 2008 as the Samuel S. Baxter professor emeritus of civil engineering.

Extent

0.67 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Dr. John Richard Weggel, PH.D., was a professor of Civil Engineering at Drexel University from 1983 to 2008. This collection documents his time teaching at Drexel and includes assessment and reports on curriculum development for Engineering students. In addition, the collection contains university communications from the president as well as course material on Freshman Design.